People who've had traumatic experiences in the hands of otherwise well-meaning dentists may find it hard to overcome their lifelong aversion to dental procedures. Many go about their entire lives without even seeing a dentist, leaving them vulnerable to a lot of dental problems that they could have otherwise prevented had they gone to their dentist regularly.
Dental phobia is considered an irrational fear of dentists that is often linked to a fear of blood and needles. Some patients are also revolted by all the sights and smells in the stark and sterile clinical environment of a dental office. This is why in a bid to make patients more comfortable, dental offices nowadays try to present a more relaxing ambience with well-furnished interiors. However, such features may not be enough to entice people who suffer from severe dental phobia.
Fortunately, patients can opt for sedation dentistry techniques that can significantly reduce the amount of pain or discomfort they feel during dental procedures. Administered orally, intravenously, or though inhalation, sedatives can induce feelings of deep relaxation and rid patients of any traces of anxiety.
The oldest and most recognizable sedative used today is nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas" because of its euphoria-inducing properties. This is primarily used for invasive procedures like root canal surgery. For patients with acute dental phobia, a
Chicago sedation dentist can prepare oral sedatives which patients need to take about an hour before their appointment.
A well-trained
Chicago sedation dentist may also administer anxiolytic medicines like diazepam together with nitrous oxide. Such medicines inhibit panic or fear to induce deep relaxation. Patients therefore remain conscious but feel no anxiety and minimal discomfort. Those who are not afraid of needles can also opt for intravenous sedation. However, they may get drowsy afterwards and not remember a thing, so dentists always advise that they bring along someone who can guide them safely home.
Some patients who opt for
sedation dentistry Chicago dentists provide do not necessarily suffer from dental phobia but may have an unusual immunity to some analgesics. They therefore need to undergo sedation dentistry to prevent a potentially fatal overdose. Finally, people with a sensitive gag reflex or those who gag and vomit involuntarily whenever they feel a foreign object on their tongues may also benefit from sedation dentistry.
